It sounds like paradise, but is it really?

 

This book kept me guessing right to the end!  Lux McAllister is somewhat adrift.  Estranged from her father, when her mother dies she feels she's all alone in the world.  That is until she meets the gorgeous Nico.  Nico is from a wealthy family, but refuses to ask them for any help.  Instead, he sails around in his boat, stopping where the fancy strikes him, and does odd jobs to support himself.  When he and Lux become romantically involved, he asks her to sail with him to Maui, then on to other romantic-sounding destinations when they get tired of Hawaii.  Lux, with no other ties, jumps at the chance.   Once in Hawaii, Lux has to work to support them while Nico doesn't seem in any hurry to do anything to put their dreams into action.  Eventually, two young women offer Nico a large amount of money to sail them to the deserted Meroe Island.  Having nothing better to do, he agrees and Lux, who suddenly finds herself unemployed, comes along.  Once they arrive at the supposedly deserted island, they are somewhat dismayed to see another boat already anchored there.  It turns out the Aussie couple on board, Jake and Eliza, are friendly, welcoming, and willing to share their provisions.  Soon it becomes a daily event to swim to shore, spend the days on the beach and the nights eating and drinking.  When another boat with a somewhat shifty-looking man arrives, the laid-back vibe of the island turns sinister.  As strange things begin to happen, everyone's secrets come out and not everyone will leave the island alive.